Bennett's B'Yachad Party adds four women to Knesset slate

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday unveiled four new candidates joining the B'Yachad ("Together") party's list for the next Knesset election, bringing the total number of women on the slate to 17 and giving women a majority of the party's candidates.

The new additions are attorney and AI entrepreneur Orly Harel, B'Yachad CEO Bruria Naim Erman, former head of Israel's Economic Mission in China Esti Ayalon Kovo, and social entrepreneur and philanthropist Olessia Kantor.

Harel, who heads B'Yachad's Women's Branch, is a lawyer and entrepreneur specializing in generative artificial intelligence and healthcare. A former Likud activist who founded the Likud Women's Forum in Jerusalem, she was previously recognized by The Jerusalem Post as one of the world's 100 most influential Jewish women.

Naim Erman has served as CEO of B'Yachad since the party's establishment and has overseen the development of its nationwide organization, which the party says includes more than 200 local branches and tens of thousands of members. She previously served as chief of staff to the transportation minister and also worked in the Defense Ministry.

Ayalon Kovo, an attorney by training, previously headed Israel's Economic Mission in China. Born in Ethiopia, she immigrated to Israel with her family after a journey through Sudan and later built a career in economic diplomacy and international trade negotiations.

Kantor leads B'Yachad's Russian-speaking branch and founded the "Lev Esh" initiative following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, providing free mental health treatment to survivors and bereaved mothers. She has also established organizations supporting women and children affected by domestic violence.

Announcing the appointments, Bennett said the party had strengthened its team with "a true Israeli mosaic of top-notch women of action."

"Our team for repairing Israel has received significant reinforcements with the addition of Orly, Bruria, Esti and Olessia," Bennett said. "A majority of B'Yachad's candidates are women, not because of gender, but because of a simple decision we made from the beginning: to recruit the very best people. Together, we will fix what's broken."